NEWS

The U.S., United Kingdom and Canada Will Introduce New Measures in Response to the Grave Human Rights Violations in East Turkistan
The WUC welcomes decisions by the U.S., U.K., and Canadian governments to take new measures to address the grave human rights abuses against Uyghurs in East Turkistan, focused on ending Western companies’ complicity in the use of Uyghur forced labour. On 13 January, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection issued a ban on imports of cotton and tomato products from East Turkistan over forced labour concerns. This follows other import restrictions issued last year. On January 12th, the U.K. Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, announced new government requirements for British companies to prove that their supply chains are not tainted by Uyghur forced labour. In coordination with the U.K., Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, François-Philippe Champagne announced on the same day that Canada is taking similar measures to ensure that products of Uyghur forced labour are not entering Canadian supply chains and making companies complicit in these human rights abuses.

WUC Joins Human Rights Groups to Condemn Mass Arrests in Hong Kong
The WUC is pleased to sign a joint statement along with 34 groups in support of Hong Kong with more than 30 other organizations, condemning the arrests of over 50 pro-democracy figures in Hong Kong. On the morning of January 6, more than 1,000 Hong Kong police and security officers arrested 53 people, including every candidate currently in the city who participated in an informal primary to determine which pro-democracy figures would run for office in the next Hong Kong legislative elections. The arrests symbolize the ongoing weaponization of law to undermine the democratic aspirations and rights of Hong Kong people. The international community must continue to condemn this blatant political repression of Hongkongers peacefully exercising their rights.

Campsurviver Speaks about systematic dehumanisation, humiliation and Brainwashing in the Internment Camps
On January 12, Gulbahar Haitiwaji, who survived the internment camp in East Turkistan, wrote in the Guardian about the dramatic situation inside the internment camps. After living 10 years in France, Gulbahar Haitiwaji returned to East Turkistan  to sign some papers, where she was arrested and sent to an internment camp. During her internment, she was subjected to systematic dehumanisation, humiliation and brainwashing.    

UK Conservative Party Launches Report on China
On January 13, the  Conservative Party Human rights Commission issued a new report on the severe human rights violations committed by the Chinese government between 2016 and 2020. Based on an extensive inquiry conducted by the Commission last year, the report covers the human rights situation through China, including  East Turkistan, Tibet and Hong Kong.  The WUC submitted written evidence on the atrocities against the Uyghurs taking place since 2016. In its report the conservative Party is calling on the British government to lead a global response to the Chinese human rights crisis. 

Joint Appeal Calls For Human Rights Safeguards in EU-China Investment agreement
The WUC joins 30+ civil society organizations (CSOs) calling for the inclusion of enforceable human rights clauses in the EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI). In a joint letter, the CSOs express “grave concern” at the omission of a human rights clause from the discussion about the agreement and its final text. Alluding to both the growing evidence of forced labour and various European Parliamentary Resolutions on the subject of forced labour in Tibet and Xinjiang, the European Union has to stand by its founding principles of democracy, rules of law and the universality of human rights. The letter is addressed to five  high EU representatives including  the President of the European Commission, Ms. Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the European Council, Mr. Charles Michel.

Huawei patents software detecting Uyghurs
On January 13, BBC reported that Huawei has filed a patent that mentions a system that identifies Uyghurs among images of pedestrians as new evidence by IPVM reveals. Last month internal Huawei documents evidenced that the company had tested a “Uyghur Alarm” function in its face recognition software.    

Attempt by the Chinese Government to Rebrand Forced Sterilization
On January 7, the Chinese embassy in the US tweeted about a report on demographics in East Turkistan, where birthrates have dropped dramatically in recent years.. This report claims that it’s due to gender equality, and claims these new measures have helped Uyguhr women become independent and ‘’emancipated’’. Evidence by camp survivors, like Zumrat Dawut, and a report by Dr. Adrian Zenz analysing official Chinese documents shows the opposite, as China tries to forcibly sterilize and impose birth control methods on Uyghur women in East Turkistan.